Method of welding parts



Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMERSON PUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY,

INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD or WELDINGv PARTS.

Application filed September 15, 1926. Serial No. 135,503.

This invention relates to methods of welding parts, and more particularly to methods l of electrically welding-parts at spaced intervals.

When parts such as the marginal portions of sheet material` are joined together in lapped relation by forming welds at spaced intervals, Vthe spacing of these welds, necessarily, has a directinfluence upon the strength of the completed joint. It has been found upon experimentation that the strength of the welded joints do not increase in the saine manner for multiple welds asdothestrength of riveted joints for similar increases in the number of rivets. The reasonifor this differ- Ience in the two types of joints will be clear when it is understood that in making a weld in a localized area., such as in electrical Spot welding,the temperature o f the pieces of niaterial may vary. This variation in temperature, in some instances, may be due to the difference in the electrical resistances at the point of contact-between the electrodes and the respective-surfacesof the pieces, in which case the piece having the higher resistance will lhave a higher surface temperature than the other companion piece. The 'unequal heating of the pieces in this niannenwill causel an unequal expansion thereof and if another weld-isniade immediately thereafter, the two pieces will be joined together at t`wo separated points before the expansion has hada. chance to equalize through the interchange of heat. Upon cooling to the originalteniperature the piece which was heated to the'higher temperature will be placed in tension between the formed welds` and the otherin compression to transmit astress between the pieces kthrough the Weld. This inter-weld stress places the individual welds iindci` an internal stress which may directly affect thc strength of the joint. vWhen the dimension between the welds is below al certain value, it has also been found that the weld which is made first may have a larger areal than the second weld and this is believed to be due to the current sliunting effect of the first weld. If a portion of the welding current, is shunted. through the first weld as the second weld isbeing made the remaining current flowingbetween the electrodes will not heat aslarge an area in thepiece's and hence the second weld will be smaller and thus weaker than the rst. The formation of welds inlocalized areas at spaced intervalswhich are not uniform in with a suitable source of cross section may directly affect the effective strength of the completed joint.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a simple, economical -and effective method of welding parts whereby welds may he formed in uniform, localized areas and deleteriousv inter-weld stresses may `be avoided. l

In accordance with these and other objects. one embodiment of the invention conteni-A plates the method of welding pieces whereby upon the successive formation of welds, the heat applied'during each welding Opration is concentrated or localized within a definite Welding zone. In practicing this method one of the pieces is preliminarily recessed or slotted in such a manner that when the parts aie welded, inter-weld stresses will be relieved and the yflow of the 4heating current throughI the weld will be equalized and localized.

Other features and advantages of this .invention will ybe apparent from .the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. l is a side elevational View l'of a pair ofoverlapped pieces of sheet material with welding electrodes associated therewith and connected in an electrical circuit, and

Fig1 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a pair of the overlapped pieces of material shown in Fig. l disclosing' the relative positions of the slots and welds.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference numerals are employed to designate ,similar parts. it will be observed that two' pieces of sheet material 10 and l1 are shown ywith the marginal `surfaces thereof placed in overlapping' relation. As shown in Fig. 2 the marginal portion of the sheet. l0 is formed with a. plurality of parallel recesses or slots 12 which extend inwardly from the edge 0f the sheet and attent-heee slots have been formed the sheet l0 is positioned in its above. mentioned proper overlapping relation with respect to the'sheet 11. A pair of suitable electrodes 14 and 15, electrically connected current supply '17,

are associated with the sheets 10 and ll in aligned relation and with the contact surfaces of the electrodes positioned intermediate a pair of adjacent slots 12. These slots separate the ii'iargin of the sheet l() into elongated portions'l. Pressure may be applied to thc electrodes 14 and l5 by any conventional means and current from the source of supply v stresses are greatly vreadily appreciatedwhen 1t 1s understood ljoining of y 17 passesthrough the electrodes to forni' va weld 18 within a localized area ofthe plates 10 and 11. Upon the'completion of one Weld, the electrodes are moved into welding posiztion with respect to the next aj acent, elongated portion 13 and the above described operation l repeated. These weldingoperations are successively made until the 'required vnumber of welds have been made so as to complete the the two sheets.

This method of welding y'is to be distin'- guishe'd from a method in which therecessesor slots A12 are not preliminarlly formed 1n' v lone of the sheets. If the sheets were to be welded in the described manner without pro# viding slotsA 12, inter-weld stresses which. f might be set up in the sheets 10 and-1las a result of any` unequal heating of the two sheets, might have a direct effect upon the strength of the joint made. By providing the slots 12, however, these inter-weld relieved. This will be that in the event that the surface Contact resistance of'one'of 'the electrodes with its respective sheet is greaterthan the other, the surface temperature of the former sheet will be correspondingly higher than thesurface temperature of the` latter and the degree'of expansion of the sheets fwill vary. Should the sheets be unequally heated as above described during the making of the first Weld and a second weld made immediately'upon .the completion of thegfirst without the presence of the slot 12, the sheet which was heated to the highest temperature would be placed in tension between the two welds upon cool# ing and the otherfsheet would beplaced in compression. This would be due to the fact that the two members would beastened together'at two points before the expansion of each had a chanceto equalize through the interchange of heat.r Thus it will be clear that due to the slots 12 which separate the margin of the sheet 10 into the elongated portions 13,

any variations in expansionfbetween vthese elongatedA portions and adjacent contacting Y* portions of the sheet 11 will be equalized through the interchange of heat independentlv of t-he interchange of heat which may take place upon the subsequent making cfa weld in an adjacent portion 13.

In practicing this improved method of' welding, the How of heating current throughthe sheets 'is localized. Thus, for example, when a second weld is being made there might bea tendency for a portion of the current to l Leeds?? be shunted through the completed weld l Awere .it not for the presence ofthe intermediate slot 12. These slots 12 serveto interrupt the direct current path which passes' `through the lirst completed weld and as a result the same amount of effective heating current flows through each weld as it is eing 'formed and the welded area of all the weld's will be uniform.

' By'yfollowing this method. which relieves' interivveld stresses and localizes the effective heating current the spaced intervals between 'the welds .may be considerably smaller thanl the spaces between ,welds which are made Without `the. use of'- inteivening slots or recesses. The welds 'which are ma'de by the practice of this improved method will be' uni- 'form 1n Iarea and will present a very, firm and strong'joint. It will be apparent that in forming the slots I2, litl ispreferable to have the slotsor openings Iarranged so as to extend H in a direction substantially parallel vwith .the stresses to which the welded pieces mayfbe subjected by external forces.

Although this method of welding is described in connection with an electrical spot welding apparatus, it is to be understood that various other forms of welding apparatus may be employed in practicingthis yimproved method and the invention is limited only 'by j the scope of the appended claims. What is'claimed is:

1. The method of welding parts having substantially the same electrical resistance characteristics,vwhich consists in forming', a

recessin one of the parts to prevent the introduction of inter-weld stresses, placing the parts in proper juxtaposition, and welding the parts together by the application of heat and pressure toproduce Welds at positions spaced and oppositely disposed fromV the re-' cess.

2. The method of welding the margins of sheet material having substantially the same c EMERsoN Pneu. 

